Minutes 04/26/1988 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Public April 26, 1988 Health and Social Services The Departments of Public Health and Social Services have not fared as well as the Community Services Board. With both departments, local revenues are recommended adequately to continue existing programs' and ~se~v~ces, but state,funding levels are not adequat!e to ~support a continuation~ of these same proqrams, and services.~, M~re specifically, 'in-the Public Health Department, state funding is not'su~f~icie~t to continue the perinatat and dental programs., Histuricalty, the perinatal program was funded i00% from,State appropriations. This year the-state moved, the program into the Cooperative Budget and will therefore only provide 55% of program costs as compared to 100% in the past. The Health' Department ha~s been operating a-dental clinic in a building which is provid~ed by th~-Beasley Founda~tion.. Funding for the dental cl~'inic opera~ions has been 55%~ State,-and 45% City just like the remainder of~the Health Department's budget,~ ~ecause of inadequate State funding., the dental clinic may be closed. I have included available ,funds ~n a contingency account ~o pay-for the City's share of the cost of the dental clinic. However, I do not _ ~e c~nt~ued if the City would have to recommend that this program pay for the State's share as we~i. '~herefore, if the State will provide additional funds for its share of the cost, we wi~ll be able to continue,to operate the dental clinic; otherwise, it will have to be closed. The Department of Social Services annually receives a Social Services B~ock Grant,appropriation to support the staff, Drograms and services of ~the Department. Over the las~ three years, this StateS'appropriation has remained almost cons,tan~hite administrative an~ program cosUs have cohtinue~ to climb. Because of this scenari~ o~ increasing costs and co~sta~t~revenue~, we are now at~a ~int where State revenues.are no~-adequ~a~e ko cover program costs~ which wi~t result ~in a revenue shor~£,al~~ I have asked the Director of Social Services to moni~ter ~is situation closely during the coming budget year and hold urogram costs within~exp~cted revenues. I feel that-the situations-of both the Public Heal%k DepartmeRt and the Department of Social Services warrant legislative~actions by the General Assembly. As ~e approach the next session of the,General Assembly, we should i~nct~de,,these items in our legislative package. ~dditional~y, I expect that the Directors of the Public Health Department and the Department of Secial,Services~ through their~state administrative agencies, will attempt to change the circumstances described~ Other expenditures which deserve special mention because of their impact on user fees and their need to increase are: Refuse Collection I have proposed the collection fee to be raised from the present $5~00 per month to S6.O0 per month, ~which has-not been changed since 1983. This increase will provide approximately $400,000 in additional~revenue,to offset the ~ncreased cost-we have to pay to the Southeastern Public Service Authority (SPSA)o SPSA charges for disposal have increased by approximately this same amount during ~he~'last two years.